A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Bram Stoker's Inspiration: Whitby in a Day.
To stand in front of an author's muse. It's pretty cool. He's the guy who created Dracula. Hi I'm Justine and I'm Darryl and we're the Breakaway Bravehearts, and today's video is set in Whitby, a charming seaside town with a surprising Dark Side. This is our first ever visit to Whitby nestled next to the North York Moors and straight away we could see why generations of visitors have been drawn to its stunning views and why Bram Stoker would find this the perfect inspiration for his gloomy Gothic novel, Dracula. Our early Autumn day in September was dull, dreary and drizzly which I absolutely loved. The perfect weather for vampires.
In this video we are following a self-directed Discovering Britain tour which promises us fish, as in lunch, fangs, as in Draculas and fossils, as in jet black jewels. And according to the tour we're also on the lookout for a polar bear. That's a pretty unusual thing to find in North Yorkshire, so I'm interested to find out why it's here and why I have to look up to find it. It definitely was one of the more intriguing sounding spots on the tour which we are going to walk you through and then we'll give you our social tourism review using our five star criteria: Social good, Economic benefit, Accessibility, Relationships and Sustainability. But spoiler alert, make sure you stay till the end of this video as it was the end of the tour that was our favourite one.
But firstly a bit about the Discovering Britain tour. We downloaded the app from the website and followed the directions through the town to our first stop. This gave us a great first look at this charming little town which was busy, but not packed, despite the weather.
It says follow the trail by clicking on the map pins. Whitby's streets have that old world vibe with their narrow winding paths and cobblestones underfoot. You'll find all sorts of quirky little shops, cozy pubs and a laidback seaside feel.
The town has really embraced its connection to Dracula with plenty of themed attractions and souvenirs. We couldn't resist the vampire teeth which we'll feature later in the video. So we grabbed a pack and headed on up the hill towards the first stop on our tour, the whalebone arch. The walk up gave us a fantastic view of the town, with the natural harbour framed by the cliffs, the town's red rooftops and the spooky ruins of the Abbey.
The sea has shaped Whitby for centuries and by 1536 it was famous for its herring catches, the locals called them "silver darlings". At one stage there were so many herring boats in the harbour, people could walk across from one side to the other just by stepping on the decks. At the top of the hill we had a few surprises and the first one was the arch, which turned out to be exactly what it said it was, made out of whalebone from a bowhead whale. Here we are at the first stop, The Whalebone Arches.
At its peak Whitby had over 50 whaling ships and the arch stands where women once watched their loved ones sail off to Greenland's icy waters each spring. When the ships returned in Autumn successful voyages were celebrated with whale jawbones strapped to the mast decorated with ribbons. Though the smell of rotting whale fat in the harbour was apparently so awful, it is said to have made men cry.
And I have to be honest I felt a little sad myself knowing that it was actual whalebone, but coming from a country that had its colonial start in the whaling industry, I can hardly judge. And speaking of that country, that's where I had my second surprise. I had not expected to see a statue of somebody so important to us kiwis, Captain James Cook. Before he became the legend who mapped out New Zealand, Australia and much of the Pacific, Cook actually started out in Whitby training as a seaman. And get this, the ship he sailed to New Zealand on, the Endeavour, was built right here in this harbour. It's pretty cool to think
that a sleepy little fishing town played such a huge role in global exploration, although I was a little bemused by the plaque donated by my fellow countrymen and I feel like it might need a bit of an update. This plaque was presented by the people of New Zealand in 1984 so what I think is interesting is, it says, it's for Captain James Cook and the man who sailed with him on his voyages of discovery. Of course it was only discovered for the white English, it had already been discovered by Maori, but awesome. So stop number one was a hit, and we headed off following the fairly easy directions to stop number two. Our next stop actually is going off to Bram Stoker's.. bench,
and for those who don't know Bram Stoker, he's the guy who created Dracula. Irish born Bram Stoker was first in Whitby in 1890 where he was on holiday away from stress of his work. Stoker had already written several novels like "The primrose path" and "The Jewel of Seven Stars" as well as short stories, but they did not make him enough income to allow him to write full time, so he worked as the pressured business manager for the famous Shakespearean actor, Henry Irving. He had already started on the draft of Dracula but the constant stress of work was putting pressure on his writing so he booked himself into a boarding house, actually just around the corner from the whalebone arch.
The landlady didn't allow guests to stay in their rooms during the day so Stoker took up to explore the town hoping to find a place to relax and reignite his motivation. He found it immediately in Whitby's scenic beauty and tranquil coastal vibe. But what he hadn't counted on was the town's eerie atmosphere, mysterious marine tales and dramatic Abbey ruins, all of which made a lasting impression on him. He decided to keep coming back to the town whenever he had the chance. Go to the last bench on the right. Wait. Which is the right? Is it that one or that one? Okay it looks different from all the rest, That's why. The one nearest the building
with the distinctive coned roof, yep that's it! This is the spot where Bram Stoker sat and he looked over this view and that inspired Dracula. That's awesome. Okay this is only from 1980, Yeah. Do the maths. It's not his chair, no. No, but it's the spot where, - he, yeah, was inspired. It's 1912 and this 1980. Yeah.
This bench is said to be his favourite spot for writing and watching the town below. One night, in 1895 he saw a ship wrecked off the harbour during a storm. The wreck of the Russian ship "Dimitri" gave Stoker the perfect idea of how to bring the vampire to England. In the novel Dracula arrives in Whitby in the form of a black dog after his ship the Demeter runs ground on the town shore. Apparently this is a reference to the legend of the Barghast, a spectral black dog that was said to roam the Yorkshire Moors.
Spot number three had an even more intriguing name. It's called the screaming tunnel. Oooh. Exactly. Creepy tunnel. Yeah. Like most of the places in Whitby fans of Dracula have created a connection to Bram Stoker claiming that this is the place where Dracula hid out to claim his victims, so we thought it was the perfect place to try our vampire teeth. That's better. Try not to laugh. [speed up sound] I accidentally ate mine.
Oh is it sticky now. They are way too sugary and sweet. So while it was a bit of fun we actually don't recommend the teeth unless you are an absolute sugar fiend. Speaking of fiends, this is the true history of the tunnel although there's no vampire activity involved, it was in fact used for dark dealings by a dark character. In The 1830s George Hudson a young entrepreneur recognised the potential for a railway to boost Whitby's wealth. He built a line and station transforming the town and attracting visitors from across the country But he was hiding a secret. Irregularities in his accounts
led to a financial collapse in 1849 forcing him to flee to France leaving many projects unfinished. When he returned to Whitby in 1865 to run for MP he was arrested for corruption showing that his legacy is as much about shady dealings as it is about development. Legend claims that this tunnel built as part of his railway was a hideout or a place of some of his nefarious activities. So the tunnel really has nothing to do with Bram Stoker but considering it's so close to where he stayed and the bench where he liked to sit, he probably did use it from time to time. Perhaps as a short cut
on his way to town to the public library. For it was there, that Stoker found the book which introduced him to the historical figure, Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Draculea. Vlad, a 15th century Prince from what is now Romania became the primary historical inspiration for his draft vampire, which he quickly renamed Count Dracula, as it allowed him to ground his fictional vampire in a real historical figure with a dark and bloody legacy. So, so far the tour has given us a real good connection between Whitby and the villainous vampire. We're now on to spot number four. Which is less intriguing to be honest with you. It is called
the information board. Okay I'm lost already, but that's okay, I've got a map and I'm just a bad follower of maps. We are on Wellington Crescent, Wellington Terrace which this map sadly doesn't show me where that is. So for those of you who watched our Cornwall hidden gems video you will know that this isn't the first time we've gotten lost on a self-directed tour. But not to worry, at least it means we get to see what the town looks like to the locals. There is some evidence that Whitby has been settled since Roman times, but it doesn't seem to have been a significant town until the medieval period.
The information board that was our next stop told us about Whitby's many bridges throughout the ages up to the current one that was built in 1908. The tour warned us to be prepared for a crowd, as the bridge is a major thoroughfare for pedestrians, drivers, and boaters and it can get pretty congested sometimes even closing for safety. Now you'll remember at the beginning that Justine mentioned an intriguing polar bear.
Well we're not going to show you exactly where it is, but it was at this point. We really recommend that you take this tour and go for the trail yourself. Unless you're majorly into bridges, it was kind of the highlight of stop number four. So we'll take you directly to the next stop, number five, the market building. It's within a cobbled square filled with stores and shops which sell the local specialty, jet. Jet is often used in jewellery and looks like black stone. It's actually a type of wood.
The fossilised remains of monkey puzzle trees. Whitby is famous for its 182 million year old jet which was formed in the middle of the Jurassic period when the land here was a boggy river delta with pockets of forest. Pieces of jet wash up on the shores of Whitby and it has been mined here since the bronze ages. After the death of her husband, Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria wore jet jewellery in mourning. Demand surged and by the 1870s, Whitby had over 200 jet shops employing around 1,500 people.
But jet wasn't the only black market in this part of town. By the 18th century Whitby was a smugglers heaven. It's estimated 80% of the tea drunk in Britain was smuggled and there was so much gin imported illegally, that it was actually used for cleaning windows. Whitby's market goers wore loose fitting clothes and returned home with their buttons bursting with smuggled tea, tobacco, and alcohol. And all these red roofs, many are made with Dutch tiles, called pantiles, which arrived in Whitby as ballast in smuggling ships.
So we learned a little bit more about Whitby and now we had just two more stops on our tour. We are now on the way to St Mary's Church founded around - 1110. Whitby's Parish church is the oldest in the town. Visiting it, means taking these 199 steps up the East Cliff.
Okay let's do it. Let's do it So here we are at the 199 stairs. We're choosing to go up them, not sure whether that was the wise choice. People have been climbing these steps for centuries and if you look closely you can see grooves worn into the stone from countless foot steps. But the steps weren't just for the living, they also carried the dead. Coffins were brought - up here
for burial at St Mary's churchyard, which as you can imagine, was quite a challenging climb, especially in bad weather. But I'm glad I've got my walking boots on. Yes. The benches on the side, known as coffin rests, were there to give pallbearers a chance to pause and catch their breath making them a sort of picturesque final resting place in a way.
Starting to get a little bit puffed Come on, you're one of those fit 50 year olds Remember. Wow. You can see right over all of Whitby and the coast. It really is quite a climb, but well worth it and not just for the view. At the top is spot number seven, and this one has the strongest Dracula link yet.
We can't show you the graveyard, as the church has requested it not be filmed, out of respect for the people who rest there. But we can testify it's definitely got a spooky atmosphere, especially in the rain and the drizzle. But it is not the place where Dracula is buried, as the church is quick to point out! The significance that St Mary's churchyard does lend to Stoker's novel is as a haunting backdrop for where the character Mina Murray meets a local who tells her that some of the graves are empty. This in fact may be true, as it was accustomed to bury empty graves for those that were lost at sea. This is also the place where Bram Stoker found the name for his central character, Lucy Westenra. It is said that he found her name on one of the gravestones and in fact in the novel this is where she is buried after her life force is gradually being drained by Dracula.
If you look at the headstones you'll notice some are right on the cliff's edge. Some coffins have even fallen into the sea as the cliff erodes. In late 2012, there were severe land slips around the church exposing the bones of the underground occupants. A perfect tribute to Stoker I believe. So there is one place that we really want to show you that isn't officially on the tour but which is by far our favourite place in Whitby and which we feel 100% comfortable claiming was an inspiration for Bram Stoker too, but before we get there, let's finish off our social tourism review on Discovering Britain: Fish, fangs, and fossils. Social good: We definitely learned a lot more about the surprisingly interesting little town.
I feel like the information given in the app gave us an insight into the history of the town and its people. However, there wasn't really any connections made between travellers and locals. We quite happily spent the day without speaking to anyone that actually lived here. The tour itself hinted at the different population groups that might have lived here throughout its history, but with no real depth or examination of social issues or inequities.
Because of the town's capitalisation on its connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula, it can't really be called a unique destination. Whitby does experience challenges related to over tourism, especially during peak seasons and weekends. The town's popularity can lead to overcrowding, particularly at key attractions, in local shops, and along the narrow streets.
This influx of visitors can strain local resources, impact the environment and create issues with parking and congestion. While tourism is vital for the local economy, the community is increasingly aware of the need to balance visitor numbers with the quality of life for residents and the preservation of the town's character. So if you're thinking of visiting, we recommend you help spread the load by going in the off season. Seriously, the colder, darker months make it even better for vampire spotting. There are no volunteer activities in Whitby suitable for travellers that we know of. If you have any better information on this, please let us know in the comments.
Treasury: Discovering Britain is a project run by the Royal geographical society which is a registered charity. While the app does not directly employ locals, it helps bring wealth to local businesses by bringing in travellers. Accessibility: Maybe if you're in a wheelchair you might find this very difficult. There was you know a lot of steps, a lot of ups and downs. I don't think there's any might about that. Yeah.
I'll do some research and I'll see if I can find some wheelchair alternative access. But... I did follow up on the wheelchair access, and while Whitby Council has made some improvement, the hilly terrain does remain a challenge. There are some accessible routes in the town, including flat areas near the harbour and certain paths along the promenade, but not all the sites on the Discovering Britain tour are accessible. The app was fully in English.
Whitby has developed a welcoming reputation for supporting lgbtq plus rights, particularly in recent years. So while Whitby may not have a large lgbtq plus population compared to bigger cities, the community is known for being friendly and accepting. However, as with many many places, experiences can vary, so it's always a good idea for visitors to connect with local groups for the most current insights on the lgbtq plus scene.
Relationships: We really enjoyed this app and the weather didn't dampen our spirits. The Discovering Britain app was easy to use, even though we did get a little bit lost. As said before we didn't have to encounter any locals on our tour, so we can't speak for the quality of service, except for that of our last site, which we're about to reveal, which is an English Heritage site and which showed us the excellent customer service, we have been greeted with at every English Heritage site we have visited so far.
So compared to our day in Cornwall, where we paid £25 was it? That's correct uh, for a walking tour, I have to say this won hands down. - even though there was only seven stops, it was enough to get to see most of Whitby and some really interesting parts of Whitby that probably we might not have gone to, otherwise. Absolutely. And it ends at the Abbey, which is beautiful. We're going to show you
that in a minute, right? Absolutely. We're going to do that. Did I just say absolutely twice? Yes you did. Oh well. There you go. But it's free. You didn't have to pay entry prices anywhere we went, which was real bonus which worked really well. Absolutely and well... Again I'm saying absolutely, but yeah I totally agree with you -, and I I think that - that is something that a lot of people are going to appreciate. Yeah.
Sustainability: Whitby is definitely moving in the right direction when it comes to sustainability, Though it does face a few challenges typical of popular tourist spots with its stunning natural scenery and rich history, the town is working hard to preserve the environment, while juggling the needs of both visitors and locals. One area where Whitby really shines is marine conservation. Given its long fishing tradition there's a strong push towards sustainable fishing in the North Sea which helps protect the local marine ecosystem. You'll also find that many local businesses are getting on board with ecotourism encouraging visitors to be mindful of their environmental impact, cut down on plastic use, and respect the beautiful landscapes and historical sites. That said Whitby still faces some hurdles
like overcrowding during peak tourist seasons and housing shortages. So there's an ongoing effort to find the right balance between development, environmental care, and community needs. But we do want to give a shout out to the extremely polite trash receptacles.
No way. Seriously. Did that rubbish bin just talk to you? That's impressive. I didn't get spoken to in the last one. I know. I want to throw something in there now so I can hear the rubbish bin talk. [Rubbish bin responds] Thank you for using... No way.
Did you hear that? It was an excellent end to our overly sweet Dracula teeth, but it wasn't the end to our Dracula themed day. We've saved the best place to last. It wasn't officially on our tour, but it was the highlight of the day, and it was definitely an inspiration for Bram Stoker.
That is the hauntingly dramatic Whitby Abbey. Whitby Abbey is one of those landmarks that really takes your breath away. You've probably already spotted it in the background of some of the footage because it's very hard to miss perched high up on the East Cliff, standing watch over the town and the sea. The Abbey dates all the way back to 657 AD when it was founded by King Oswied of North Umbria. With the incredible Abbess Hilda at the helm, it was here that one of the biggest decisions in Christian history was made. During the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD when they opted for Roman Traditions over Celtic ones, which later influenced art, architecture, language and politics.
Of course it hasn't been an easy ride. The Abbey was raided by Vikings in the 9th century and pretty much flattened. It was rebuilt after the Norman conquest and thrived for centuries only to fall victim to Henry VII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s.
What's left today are these incredible Gothic ruins that are every bit as majestic as they are eerie, especially in grey Autumn drizzle. Oh wow. Look at this. Wow The atmosphere in the Abbey has managed to stir the imagination throughout the centuries. This is so cool. There are plenty of local legends that surround the Abbey. One of the most famous involves St Hilda who apparently had the power to turn snakes into stone.
And of course when Bram Stoker visited Whitby in 1890, he was immediately captivated by the Abbey's moody, windswept ruins. You can still feel the gothic energy radiating. I can just imagine vampires like swooping down from up high. [eerie wind sounds] Maybe vampires were climbing out of these gates. Dracula hanging from one of those archways.
You can see how it would have inspired him for sure. Sure. (Gary Oldman speaks as Dracula) I am the monster that breathing men would kill. I am Dracula.
For the people of Whitby, the Abbey isn't just a bunch of ruins, it's part of their culture, their history, and their sense of resilience. There's pride in the fact that the Abbey has seen so much over the centuries, from religious milestones, to viking attacks, to literary fame. Today Whitby Abbey is a major tourist attraction bringing visitors from all over the world. English Heritage does a great job running the site with all sorts of events throughout the year, ranging from medieval reenactments, to the spooky vibes of the Whitby goth weekend.
They have extensive information about the Abbey's history available in the information centre which is beautifully designed to match the Abbey's architecture. For those of you who have seen our review of Cornwall's Tintagel Castle, you will know that we were not fans of the way English Heritage have connected that particular site with the legend of King Arthur using its shallow links to the ancient stories to fuel an already overcrowded region at the expense of the local Cornish Heritage. We have to say we didn't get the same feeling here at all. It is true, there is definitely a push to capitalise on the links to Dracula, to draw in the crowds, but somehow it just seemed a little more genuine and better controlled. Certainly on the day we were here we almost had the place to ourselves and there was so much information provided by both the Discovering Britain tour and English Heritage to balance out the Bram Stoker connection and make it less prominent and less cheesy. I think that the link here between this castle and Bram Stoker is closer than the link between Tintagel and King Arthur.
So it's a little bit more of a genuine link, Okay, - I think they haven't tried, at least in the Abbey, there's no like fake Dracula popping up or anything. You know, there's no statue like there is at Tintagel so you don't get that Disney aspect that you kind of got at Tintagel. I think I just love being in a place where where Bram Stoker was. Where a writer was, a creator was, and seeing his inspiration. I don't know if the writer of the legends of King Arthur, Jeffrey Monmouth ever went to Tintagel, but I know that Bram Stoker came here and he looked at this and that inspired him. And so to be in an author's - Inspiration, that's pretty incredible.
To stand in front of an author's muse is pretty cool. Being able to walk through, being able to touch it's.. makes it so special. It really does. At the end of the day, Whitby Abbey is more than just a stunning ruin and Whitby township is more than just the place that inspired Dracula and we were happy that any vampiric references didn't take away from that fact. This is a place where the past and present meet and it has a unique charm and feeling that we thoroughly enjoyed experiencing.
Final thoughts is .. even though it's been a very wet day um although it's now dried up, which is great - it's still been an amazing day. Still really glad that I came here to Whitby. It is a very busy little town, yes, - which if I"d done my research, maybe I would have known that, but it's understandable with - its stories that it has behind it, But it was thanks to the Discovery Britain.. Should I say, I got caught by the fangs, um and uh yeah, it got me interested in coming here. So yeah. Final thoughts is that it's been a great day. Yeah really enjoyed it.
Yeah. What about you? Yeah highlights of the day I think for me, is the view of the city, the town rather. I was surprised by - such a little town and so much character, especially with the wharf and the boats and the, you know, the pirate history.
And I had no idea it wa.s connected to Cook. So that was really cool. But this, is an inspiration for Dracula. I mean that's just awesome. I've really enjoyed my day as well
and we hope you get a chance to enjoy it for yourself too. Until then, Happy travels everyone
2024-10-12 18:29
